Wednesday, 29 August 2007

Sushi exposed!

Here's something I learned yesterday that made me regret all those times I went to a Japanese restaurant and thought I was eating healthy when I ordered sushi. It turns out that those little, tasty rolls pack quite a whollop in the calorie department. I'm talking a real whallop -- like more calories than a Mars bar!! Surprised? Yeah, so was I.

I did realize that sushi is wrapped in white rice, which by itself isn't exactly a great choice. For people with diabetes, it's probably wise to avoid simple sugars of this kind altogether, if possible. There are brown rice sushis, so these are already a healthier option. Still, though, there are some serious calories to contend with. For example, an eel and avocado roll has 372 calories and 17.5g of fat!! Granted, much of this is "good" fat, but still, that's a whole lot of calories for a damn roll of sushi!! And, if you make the mistake of getting something fried, you're in even bigger trouble. Remember that shrimp tempura roll you ate? Well, I'm sorry to break the news to you, but it had 544 calories and 13g of fat in it!!

This is not to say that you should avoid eating sushi. But, it may at least make you give more thought to what it is you're actually eating. Oh yeah, and another bit of bad news regarding sushi -- it's typically very high in mercury. Go to www.gotmercury.org and you'll see for yourself. Still, this does not mean that sushi is the enemy. Just try to be more discerning when it comes to what kind you eat. If you're still not sure, click here for a good article and caloric breakdown of the different types of sushi.